“The One and Only Ivan” by Katherine Applegate

This year’s Newbery was one I predicted, for a change, as chatter had it on the short list as early as last summer.  It gained a bit of notoriety, however, as many felt “Wonder” by Palacio deserved a nod and was overlooked.  I haven’t read “Wonder” but did like this book, which was delightful, sweet and endearing with strong overtones of “Charlotte’s Web.”  The sad tale of a gorilla living in a small cage in a run-down roadside tourist spot; it is the kind of story that makes all of us animal lovers reach for the Kleenex (and yes, there is the pre-requisite loss of life, because there always is in these kinds of stories).  A faster read than the 305 pages would indicate, I got through it in an afternoon.  Told in sparse phrasing and short chapters, it borders on poetry without all the flowery stuff and actually makes for a fabulous read-aloud.  Applegate gets props for creating characters, animal and human, who are layered and three-dimensional.  Based on real events (how I want to go visit Ivan now!!) it could become one of those Lassie/Old Yeller/Black Beauty books that is kept and read over and over again through the years.  The twist here is that Ivan needs to rescue someone, but it isn’t necessarily the someone you would think it is.  Highly accessible (not so for many Newbery picks) this is one of those “warm your heart” stories – or, as Applegate states, in the voice of Ivan, “I like colorful tales with black beginnings and stormy middles and cloudless blue-sky endings.”  Me too!  A great little book that should make for a family favorite.  Enjoy.